start 1 of 4

1
2
3
4
5
as in to jump
to move suddenly and sharply (as in surprise) I started from my chair when I heard the sudden scream

Synonyms & Similar Words

6

start

2 of 4

noun

starting

3 of 4

adjective

starting

4 of 4

verb (2)

present participle of start
1
2
3
4
5
6

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of start
Verb
And the drive to solve complex problems started early. Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025 As investors wait for the news, the stock is now starting to rally and filling that downward gap. Jay Woods, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
The Arkansas Razorbacks, Kansas Jayhawks, Louisville Cardinals, Arizona Wildcats and Illinois Fighting Illini are all talented preseason top-25 teams who could ascend up the odds quickly with strong starts. Scott Phillips, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025 Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns are moving closer to playoff contention after a disappointing start to the season. Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2025
Adjective
During his two-season NFL career, Kneeland appeared in 18 games, with four as a starting defensive end. Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Nov. 2025 Despite being taken out of the starting lineup for Games 6 and 7, center fielder Andy Pages entered the game five pitches prior, and tracked down the ball to send the game into extra innings. Gabe Smallson, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
All of this comes as more Americans are starting to feel the fallout from the now month long government shutdown, which seems to have no end in sight. ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025 Temperatures are finally starting to drop in the South, with the slant of the sun and the coolness at night signaling that the fall season has indeed arrived. Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for start
Recent Examples of Synonyms for start
Noun
  • From its beginning, the leaders of the rebellion well understood the global reach and resonance of their great struggle.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
  • But that was the beginning of everything for both of us.
    Karen Taylor Bass, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • An initial target of £2,000 had doubled by the time Scunthorpe confirmed on Thursday that he had been discharged from hospital.
    Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2025
  • The initial childhood of Victor Frankenstein lends itself more to that age of enlightenment.
    Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Moore delivered a commencement address at Lincoln University in Gettysburg in May, the same month Gallego and Khanna paid their own visits.
    Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2025
  • The actor previously gave a commencement speech at the college in 2021.
    Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The play received overwhelmingly positive reviews, which may help its trajectory, as the show has seen its wraps triple for post-opening sales, according to the production.
    Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Everyone is invited to this bacchanal of botox and fire dancers, but everyone seems to understand that this is actually the opening salvo of the war that’s been brewing between Mary and Chrishell’s respective fiefdoms.
    Anne Victoria Clark, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Since its inception in 2013, the festival has taken place in Los Angeles in the fall, showcasing speculative cinema from around the globe.
    Andrew McGowan, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Since its inception, IEEPA has been invoked 69 times, and no president has ever used it to impose tariffs.
    Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • My first apartment on 15th and Union Square was a studio in a classy old building with marble pillars, one small room with a bigger bathroom and strangely an even bigger closet.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
  • The purchase was the first investment by a Middle Eastern carrier in an East Asian airline.
    John Liu, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Beijing nearly doubled the rate of expansion at missile production sites in the two years that followed the onset of the war, according to CNN’s satellite imagery analysis of constructed floorspace.
    Tamara Qiblawi, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Amid the second surge of the virus, in August 2020, the first ‘covid novel’ arrived—Ali Smith’s Summer, the last of a seasonal quartet, written during Britain’s early lockdown, which includes real-time descriptions of the pandemic’s onset.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • As for Rivian’s path to profitability, McDonough noted cost savings derived from the launch of the second-generation R1 last year, and said the company will achieve further reductions with the R2.
    Jane Thier, Fortune, 2 Nov. 2025
  • The museum’s 2025 Art+Film Gala, held Saturday beneath a crisp November sky, shimmered with sequins, many of them courtesy of Gucci, the gala’s longtime presenting sponsor since its launch in 2011.
    Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Start.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/start. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on start

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!